Formulating a plan for how to cope in bio-secure bubbles will be an essential part of the preparation process for international cricketers for some time yet.
That is the view of Sam Billings and Carlos Brathwaite, who believe players need to find a way to be “emotionally consistent” in strange times for their profession.
Each has experience of living in the sealed off environments that have been necessary since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Billings played for England’s one-day side during a UK summer where players stayed on site at grounds in Manchester and Southampton for safety reasons.
Brathwaite was on commentary duty in the UK, before playing in the one-site, Covid-secure Caribbean Premier League in Trinidad last month.
“It is so individual, and it is about self-awareness,” Billings said of coping inside the bubble.
“It is a very different environment, and you have to know what makes you tick.
“What makes me tick is going to be completely different to other players.
“The guys who were most emotionally consistent around cricket were the guys who had put things in place that got them away from the game.
“It sounds ridiculous as you are literally living on the ground, but it was about finding to ways to switch off, and then switch back on for cricket.”
The two players were speaking to promote the Abu Dhabi T10. The next season of the 10-over competition will start at the end of January.
It appears almost certain similar bio-security measures will need to be employed for that tournament.
As a 10-day event, it will be some way short of what the English players experienced during the summer.
“Some of the guys were in it for 11 weeks,” Billings said.
“Jos [Buttler], how he did that for that, and maintained his level of performance throughout, was a credit to what he built around himself, and the support network that he needed for that period of time.
“I will be in that environment again, so how can I get even better with my preparation?”
Brathwaite said the experience is challenging.
“I love being in my room, so there is not much difference there,” Brathwaite said.
“But knowing you have the outlet after you have had a tough game to go and do something out of the hotel – knowing that has now gone, it implored me to lean on my teammates more.
“In my experience in the bubble, I wasn’t playing for Barbados, my home territory, but I had a lot of friends in that team.
“After a tough day, whether win, lose or draw, perform or not, if your body is aching, sometimes you need your wife, or maybe someone on the ground like a childhood friend, to remind you of your good performances.”
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2019 Abu Dhabi T10 final
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Suarez 27', Vidal 32', Dembele 35', Messi 78')
Sevilla 0
Red cards: Ronald Araujo, Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)
Ammar 808:
Maghreb United
Sofyann Ben Youssef
Glitterbeat
Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
